80% of Game Developers Shift Focus to PC, Leaving PS5 and Switch Behind

Discover the latest trends shaping the game industry with GDC's 2025 State of the Game Industry report, which highlights a significant shift towards PC gaming.

The 2025 State of the Game Industry Report

80 Percent of Game Devs Are Making Games for PC

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) unveiled in its 2025 State of the Game Industry report on January 21, 2025, that an impressive 80% of game developers are now focusing their efforts on PC gaming. This annual survey, which gathers insights from developers worldwide, provides a comprehensive look at the trends, challenges, and opportunities within the gaming sector.

The report shows a notable 14% increase in PC game development from the previous year's 66%. The surge could potentially be linked to the growing popularity of Valve's Steam Deck. Although the Steam Deck wasn't explicitly listed as a development platform in the survey, a significant 44% of respondents who chose the 'Other' option indicated their interest in developing for this device.

Last year's report identified PC as the "dominant platform," despite the rise of user-generated content (UGC) platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, and the anticipated Nintendo Switch successor, now known as the Switch 2. PC's dominance in game development isn't new; it has grown steadily from 56% in 2020 to 66% in 2024.

Should this trend persist, we can expect an even broader library of games available on PC. However, the forthcoming release of the Switch 2, with its enhanced graphics and performance, might influence this trend to some degree.

One-Third of Triple A Devs Works On Live Service Games

The report also sheds light on the growing focus on live service games among AAA developers, with one-third (33%) currently engaged in developing such titles. Expanding the scope to all respondents, 16% are working on a live service game, while 13% express interest in doing so. Conversely, a significant 41% are not interested in pursuing this model.

Developers who are working on or interested in live service games appreciate the financial and community-building advantages. However, those who are not interested cite concerns such as declining player interest, creative stagnation, predatory practices, microtransactions, and the risk of burnout.

GDC points out that "market oversaturation" is a critical issue with live service games, as developers find it challenging to sustain a viable player base. A notable example of this challenge is Ubisoft's decision to shut down XDefiant only six months after its launch.

Some Devs Underrepresented in GDC’s State of the Game Industry

On January 23, 2025, PC Gamer highlighted that the latest GDC report underrepresents game developers from regions outside the West. Nearly 70% of respondents hail from Western countries such as the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Notably, China, a powerhouse in mobile gaming, does not feature prominently in the respondent list, nor do Japanese developers.

This geographical skew in the survey's respondents could bias the findings toward Western perspectives, potentially not fully capturing the global state of the game industry.